Machine for forming sheets of pulpous material



Jan. 25, 1927.

J. LITTLE MACHINE FOR FORMING SHEETS OF PULPOUS MATERIAL Original Filed Feb. 2s;v

KEN

Joim 5.11

Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

UNITED STATES I 1,615,391 PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN SHIRLEY LITTLE or LA GRANGE, ILLINOIS, assreivon 'ro WESTERN nLEorRIo COMPANY, moonrona'rnn, on NEW YORK, 11. Y.', A conroaarron or new YORK.

MACHINE FOR FORMING SHEETS F PULPOUS MATERIAL.

Application mammary as, 1923, Ma No. -e21,72 1. Renewed October 20, 1926.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for forming sheets of pulpous'material. The object of the invention is to provide 6 a machine for forming pulpous material into .sheets, which embodies the advantages of both the cylinder type and F ourdrinier type of machines. previously employed ,for this purpose. Another object of the invention is to provid a machine whichis simple and inexpensive to construct and maintain. I

A machine made in accordance with the invention may be used in the, manufacture of paper and may also be adapted to perform the process of covering cores with pulp dis- I closed in co-pending application filed in the names of Walker and March, Serial No. 5A7,- 923, filed March 29, 1922.

2 Other objects and advantgaes of the machine will more fully appear in the folloW- ing' specification and willbe particularly pointed outin the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings,

made in accordance with the present invention and adapted to perform the process disclosed in the Walker-March application above referred to; 30 Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of.a portion of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; f s

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, vertical sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the cylinder,

- Fig. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary, side I elevation of part of the cylinder shown in Fig. 3; Figs. 5 and 6 are enlarged views showing the form of the pulp coating on the cores as they are delivered from the"" carrier and squeezing rolls respectively Figs. 7 and 8' are enlarged views showing the form of the pulp coating on the core. during the foriningoperation and after the I forming operationispompleted respectively; and

Fig. 9- is a fragmentary sectional view showing'a modified form of the drum. The .embodiment of-the iinvention illustrated in'the drawings is particularly adapted.v for covering 'cores instrand form by the process disclosed in the'co-pending application of \Valker and March, Serial. No. 547,- 923, filed March 29, 1922, referred to above.

This machine however modified slightly in a manner hereafter to be 'describedin detail may be used formanufacturing paper.

Referring now to the drawings in detail in which like reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views, the cores to be coated are fed froma supply 20 over an idler 21, and then' around a drum 22 which is partially submerged in a'liquid pulp within a semi-spherical containing trough 23.

The drum 22 comprises an imperforate metallic end wall 24 having integral there with, a hollow hub portion 25, a peripheral port-ion 26 disposed atright angles to the portion 24, and a spider member 27 having an integral hub portion 28 keyed to ashaft' 29. Also keyed to theshaft 29 are a number of,sp'iders 30 having peripheral rims 31 and hub portions 32 which are of sufficient length to space the peripheral rim portions of the spiders apart. The number of spiders 30 mounted upon the shaft 29 will'depend upon the number of cores "to be coated as. 25 Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a machine will more fully appear hereafter. An end member (not shown) similar to the member 24, is mounted upon the shaft 29 to form the other end of the drum. The drum 22 is rotatably mounted in suitable bearings 33 carried by a framework 34 which sup orts all of the apparatus. Passing aroun the drum 22 is a belt 35 formed of suitable foraminous material such as a wire screen, this belt passing over the-idler roll 21 and around a drum 36 secured to a shaft 37 rotatably mounted in suitable bearings carried by a.

support 38 attached to the framework 34.. The belt 35 is of a width to cover slots 41 In passingaround the drum 22 the cores 20 lie upon. the screen belt 35 opposite the slots 41 as shown in Fig. 3. The pulp liquid in the drumis maintained at a lower level than that of the pulp liquid in the tank 23, as 4 indicated by dotted lines A and B respectively. Thisdifierence in levels is maintained by a syphon pipe 42, wh ch has its inlet end submerged in the pulp liquid within the tained in the tank 23 by feeding the pulp mixturefrom a supply tank 43 into the tank 23 and out of the said tank through a pipe 44 into a receiving tank, (not shown) from which it is pumped back-into the supply tank I rolls remove the greater portion of the liquid 43, in a suitable manner. As the belt 35 carries the cores thereon through the tank, due to the difference in the levels of the liquid within the drum and the tank, the liquid in the tank 23 will pass through the foraminous belt and slots 41 straining the pulp onto the outer surface ofthe belt and applying pulp to the cores supported thereonr After the belt leaves the tank carrying the cores and pulpous material on its upper surface considerable liquid in the pulpous material will drain through the foraminous belt. In order to remove additional moisture from the pulpous material asuction box 45 carried by supports 46 is disposed beneath the belt 35 and as the belt carrying the cores and pulpous material passes over the box 45, considerable moisture is drawn from the pulpous material whereby the fibers of the said material. are more closely felted together; any suitable suction means (not shown) may be connected with the box 45 through a pipe 47 The cores with pulpous material applied thereon are drawn from the belt 35 and assed between pairs of squeezing rolls 48. he squeezing rolls 48 are forced together by any suitable tension means which is adjustable to present the proper pressure on the cores and their pulp coating as they pass between the rolls; The squeezing rolls maybe formed of any suitable material but ithas been found preferable to form the upper roll with a foraminous peripheral portion covered with felt and construct the lower roll of rubber. The rolls 48 are rotatably mounted between a pair of brackets 49 secured to an upright standard 50, supported by the framework 34. A shaft carrying the lower roll 48 is driven through a. pulley attached thereto by means of a. belt 51 actuated by any suitable source of power. The squeezing from the pulpous materlal on the coresand form the said material into a thin ribbon which extends radially from each side of the ribbon pulp coatings are each drawn through a former 52 which wraps the projecting edges of the ribbon around the core and around each other, the appearance of the to the said application.

'61 mounted on the shaft.

coactin after it is first acted on by the former an after the forming action is completed being shown clearly in Figs. 6 and 7 The formers cause athorough intermingling of.

the pulp fibers and shape the coatings so that they embrace the cores and conform to the shape thereof; This step .of the process forms the coating into a mass so homogeneous that uponcutting the core and coating the latter will not fray or ravel and will not become easily detached from the core.

Each ofthe formers 52 are of the type fully illustrated and described in the aforesaid co-pending application of Walker and March, Serial No. 547,923, filed March 29, 1922, and for a full disclosure of their construction and operation reference is made Each of the cores with its formed coating is drawn from the associated former 52 and subjected to a mechanism for thoroughly drying out the coating. This means comprises a pair of wide hollow drums 53 and 54 internally heated and having a plurality of grooves formed thereon (not shown), guides (not shown) being provided for di recting the core over first one drum and then the other until it -traverses all of the grooveson both drums, after which it is stored on a receiving reel 55, the drum and reel being driven in any suitable manner.

When the machine shown in the drawing is designed for'th'e manufacture of paper,

the squeeze rolls, the formers, the drying drums, and the supply and take up reels for the cores may be omitted. In their place may be substituted the usual dryingand calendar rolls, standard in paper manufacture. The drum 22, in this instance, would have its periphery coveredwith a sheet of material 60 having a plurality of comparatively large perforations therein and supported by theperipheral portion 26 and the tapered peripheral rims 62 of the spiders The belt 35 engages the perforated sheet 60 in the operation of the machine. The edgesof the rims 62 are tapered to reduce the portion of the sheet 60 coveredthereby.

What is claimed is: v

' 1. In a machine for coating cores with pulp, a receptacle holding a supply of liquid containing pulp, a support spaced apart from said receptacle, a strip of foraminous.

material, means for drawing said strip through the receptacle and over said'support, means for causing contact'between the core to be coated and the strip within the receptacle, and means for depositing pulp on the strip and said core while the strip and core are passing through the receptacle. 2. In a machine for coating cores in strand form with pulp, a receptacle holding a supply of liquid containing pulp, a member rotatably mounted within said receptacle, :1

support spaced apart from said rotatable member, a strip of foraminous material,

means for drawing said strip around the member and over said support, means for drawing the core to be coated around the strip while said strip is passing around the rotatable member, and means for depositing pulp onto said core and strip while said strip is passing around said rotatable mem core to'becoated and the strip while said.

strip is in the receptacle, means for depositing pulp on the strip and core whilethe strip is passing through the receptacle, and suction means associated with said strip and outside of the receptacle for removing moisture from the pulpous material deposited thereon. a

4. In a machine for coating cores with pulp, a receptacle holding a supply of liquid containing pulp, a support spaced apart from said receptacle, a strip of foraminous material, means for drawing saidstrip through the receptacle and over said support, means for causing contactbetw'een the core to be coated and the strip within the receptacle, means for depositingpulp on the strip and said core while the strip and core are passing through the receptacle, and means for forming said pulpous'material on the core to constitute a homogeneous coating therefor.

5. In a machine for coating cores with pulp, a receptacle holding a'supply .of liq' uid containing pulp, a support spaced apart from said'receptacle, a strip of foraminous material, means for drawing said strip through the receptacle and over said support, means for causing contact between the core to be coated and the stri within the receptacle, means for depositing pulp on the strip and said core while the strip and core are' passing through the receptacle,

means for removing moisture from the pulpous material'on thecore, and meansfor forming said. material on the core to constitute' a homogeneous coating therefor.

6. In a machine for coating cores with pulp, a receptacle holding a supply of liq uid containmg pulp, asupport spaced apart from said receptacle, a strip of foraminous material, means for drawing said strip through the receptacle and oversaid support, means for causing contact between the core to be coated and the stri within the receptacle, meansfor de ositing pulp'on the strip and said core w 1c the strip and core are passing through the receptacle, means for removing moisture from the pulpous material on the core, means for forming said material on the core to constitute a homogeneous coating therefor, and means for removing. substantially all of the moisture from'sai-d coating.

7. In a machine for coating cores with pulp, a receptacle holding a supply of liq uid containing pulp, a support spaced apart from said receptacle", a strip of foraminous material, means for drawing said strip through the receptacle and over said support, means for causing contact between the core to be coated and the strip within the receptacle, means for depositing pulp on the strip and said core while the strip and core are passing through the receptacle, means for squeezing'said pulpous material to form a ribbon extending at opposite sides of the core, and means for wrapping said ribbon around the core to constitute a homogeneous covering therefor. I

8. In a machine for coating cores with pulp, a receptacle holding a supply of liquid containingpulp, a support spaced apart from said receptacle, a strip of foraminous material, means for drawing said strip through "the receptacle and over said sup port, means for causing contact between the core to be coated and the strip within the receptacle, means for depositing pulp on the strip and said core while the strip and core are passing through the receptacle,- means for squeezing said pulpous material to form a ribbon extending at opposite sides of the core, means for wrapping said ribbon around the core to constitute a homogeneous covering therefor, and means for removing substantially all of the moisture from said coating.

9. A drum comprising imperfora-t'e sides, a peripheral portion having a plurality of -slots therein and communicating with the interior of the drum, and a strip of foraminous material covering each slot, said peripheral portlon adapted-to support a com- -mon' foraminous member covering the strips of foraminous material.

10. A drum comprising imperf orate sides,

a plurality of intermediate members therebetween, the peripheries-of the members belng sepa'ratedto provide aplurality of peripheral openmgs communicating with the interior of the drum, and strips of forami- .nous material covering such openings, said peripheral portions adapted to co-operate -in supporting a common foraminous member covering the strips of foraminous material. i

7 JOHN SHIRLEY LITTLE; 

